Path of the River
by The Call of Snowy Fire
Summary: Every cat has a separate river, a separate path. Usually, it starts as a stream, then grows as more and more trickles of water join. But sometimes, as parts form, some parts go dry. Darkkit and Spottedkit. Familiar names, and, in fact, the same cats, in a new life. Resurrected. But we know Darkstripe as harsh and fierce. And Spottedleaf to be kind. But when rivers flow, they split.
1. Prologue

**Hi, and welcome to my first fanfic!**

Golden light parts the blue-gray clouds to reveal a clearing: the tall grasses wave gently in the soft breeze. A pool lies in the center of the clearing, but it holds no ordinary water. The pool holds the water of StarClan, and the simple ripples seem to shimmer in the light. And beside the pool is a blaze, a small fire.

No. Upon closer look, this is a cat, a handsome ginger tom with broad, strong shoulders and brilliant emerald eyes. But in the depths of these eyes, one emotion shines clear and true: worry. This cat is flanked by two others, whose gazes hold the same unease.

"Darkkit." The ginger tom shakes his head from side to side, the fur on his spine starting to rise. "This is more than just a slight resemblance. This kit must have been brought back to life. What does it mean, Spottedleaf?"

A delicate dark tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat pads closer to the pool to look into it closely, and her amber eyes widen, shock flaring within them. She sighs, turning her head to face the ginger cat. "It means, Firestar, that one of the worst villians of the clans has returned."

"Is there any way we can stop this?" The third cat, a blue-gray she-cat, steps forward, the tip of her tail twitching with anxiety as she faces the other two StarClan cats. Spottedleaf turns to face her, and her eyes hold an intense, burning passion inside.

"Bluestar." When the former medicine cat speaks, her voice is quiet. "If there was one thing that Darkstripe lacked, it was knowledge and kindness."

"In other words," Firestar growls, "you're emphasizing that he was a ruthless traitor. How will the clans get rid of him, for a _third_ time? We thought it was the end when he was killed during the Great Battle, but we were wrong. We thought _you_ were lost, too, Spottedleaf, when Mapleshade killed you, but you found your way back to us."

Spottedleaf smiles, but it is a sad smile, one that holds wisdom and loyalty. "Send me back."

Bluestar's clear blue eyes widen in surprise. "Spottedleaf, that won't help. If you recall, Clawface killed you with one swipe, and Darkstripe holds the same power in his paws. And how is a _medicine cat_ supposed to stop a former Dark Forest cat from rising to power?"

"That I do not know," Spottedleaf mews softly. "But when the time comes, I will find a way."

Firestar dips his head. "I trust you, Spottedleaf."

Bluestar sighs, her tail drooping slightly. "Very well. But return to the living comes with a price, as I recall what happened with Cinderpelt."

"I understand." The medicine cat's amber eyes blaze with determination.

Almost as if Bluestar hasn't heard, the former ThunderClan leader continues. "You will lose all memories of your previous life as a medicine cat, and you will only regain them when you rejoin us to walk in StarClan once more." Her tail rests on Spottedleaf's back. "Are you sure this is what you want?"

Spottedleaf dips her head gracefully, a single word escaping her jaws. "Yes."

"StarClan will be with you," Firestar mews, his voice hollow.

Bluestar flicks her tail to silence the ginger tom, then nods to Spottedleaf. "You will be reborn into Roseshine's litter. From this moment onward, until you are renamed by your clan leader, you will be known as Spottedkit."

Spottedleaf's expression radiates joy, as her new name greets her pricked ears. She turns back to face Bluestar and Firestar one last time, and both cats touch noses to her with finality, then pull apart.

And then, she was in the depths of the pool of starlight, an invisible force pulling her down into blackness.

* * *

In the living world, the ThunderClan nursery holds two queens, one of which is currently writhing in her nest as pain flashes through her body. She cries out, then quiets as a soft paw presses gently against her swollen belly. This paw gives off the scent of herbs, which come from this cat's home, the medicine den. The young queen lets out a soft whimper as the medicine cat presses again, this time slightly harder.

On the other side of the nursery, the other queen, a black-and-white she-cat, widens her eyes and whispers a few words to the two kits cuddled at her belly, and as the first queen, a silver-white tabby, yowls, she wraps her tail protectively around them.

"You're doing fine, Roseshine." The medicine cat, a massive gray tom, murmurs softly to the queen every few moments.

Roseshine screeches a second time as a spasm ripples through her. Her green eyes cloud over in pain, and uncontrollably, tears spill slightly over, staining the top of her cheek. Blinking rapidly, the queen bites down on the root between her teeth, splintering it, and shrieks once more. The fragments of the root fall onto the moss of her nest, as the medicine cat bites free the final kit.

"Are you all right, Roseshine?" The other queen's anxious voice sounds in Roseshine's ears. "I don't remember if it took that much to give birth to Darkkit and Silverkit."

Roseshine lifts her head, then lets it drop. "Just... fine, Swiftblaze."

The large gray tom presses on her belly once more, then pricks his ears before sniffing the small bundles that lay at the silver-white tabby she-cat's belly. "Congratulations, Roseshine. You have three healthy kits."

Roseshine cranes her neck to see, but falls back. "Are they all right?"

"Yes, fine."

"Oh." There is a soft silence for a while, as Roseshine struggles to push herself to her paws, then stares admiringly at the newborn kits. Then, she tears her green gaze away to look back at the medicine cat, who drops an herb at her paws, with a nod. Roseshine purrs. "Thank you, Ashfeather!"

Ashfeather, the medicine cat, simply dips his head to her. "I'll call Embersky in, and then, get to sleep. You need your rest."

"All right." Roseshine nods, then flattens her ears as Ashfeather lets out a loud yowl, calling her mate into the den. As a ginger tabby bounds inside, Ashfeather slips out, disappearing into his den, beside the nursery. Roseshine falls back, then lifts her head weakly to face her mate with a gentle smile. "You have three kits, Embersky."

Embersky, the pale ginger tabby, purrs uncontrollably, and leans closer to his mate to nuzzle her affectionately before staring down at the three kits. "They're beautiful, Roseshine. What do you want to name them?"

"I'll name this one Snowkit, but then, I'm too tired to do anything else." Roseshine flicks her tail, pointing a paw towards the pure-white she-cat, then lays her head down into the moss. However, her eyes remain open, watching Embersky and her kits.

Embersky nods. "The tom is Graykit, and the tortoiseshell is Spottedkit."

 **I hope you liked the first chapter! I know, there are _so_ many fanfics about resurrection, but I don't think any of them chose Darkstripe. Anyway, Graykit is NOT Graystripe, and Snowkit is NOT Snowfur, or anything of the sort. Darkkit and Spottedkit are the only ones who have been granted with a new life.**

 **Please, read and review!**

 **~The Call of Snowy Fire**


	2. Chapter 1 - Dark

**I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

When Darkkit opened his eyes, all he saw for a few long heartbeats was a blur of green, brown, and gray. He saw the blurred gray shape move slightly towards him, and the next thing he knew was that two small, green shapes lay neatly on the gray, and seemed to be focused on him.

Darkkit shook himself, blinking rapidly, and slowly, his vision cleared. He found that he was lying on something soft and warm, and that a lithe black-and-white she-cat lay beside him, her head lifted to look over him anxiously, through her green eyes. Beside him, there was a small, silver ball of fluff, who moved slightly. Then, as Darkkit lifted a forepaw and pressed against the fluffball curiously, a pair of blue eyes flashed open, and a long silver tail was revealed as the fluffball now came to life. Darkkit blinked curiously. _Another kit!_

"Darkkit, don't disturb your sister if she's sleeping." The black-and-white she-cat, probably his mother, gazed affectionately at him, her tone gently reproachful. Darkkit pushed himself into a standing position, his paws shaking with the effort, then stumbled, landing face-first in the moss. Slowly, his face burning, he lifted his head to look at the other kit again, his eyes narrowing with interest. _So that's my sister!_

He lifted his head questioningly to face his mother, who simply purred, stroking her tail along his flank. Frowning slightly, Darkkit pushed himself to his paws again, this time, managing to stay on his paws as he shifted his weight. Slowly, he placed one paw in front of the other, but the moss was too soft beneath his paws.

Darkkit toppled over again, this time rolling with the impact. And then, the nest disappeared from under him, and Darkkit flailed his paws wildly before feeling himself falling downward. His eyes widened with dismay, and he stared pleadingly at his mother, who purred again.

Heartbeats later, Darkkit slammed into the ground, and his paws tingled slightly.

A sharp squeal sounded from somewhere above him. Narrowing his eyes to slits, Darkkit pushed himself up to his paws again to look at the cat who had made the sound. It was the silver she-kit, his sister. Her whiskers were twitching as she stared at Darkkit, which caused him to glare at her.

The silver-furred she-cat looked apologetic as she lifted a paw in greeting.

"You've both opened your eyes." The black-and-white she-cat sounded relieved as she spoke. "Look, Roseshine. Darkkit and Silverkit are awake!" Darkkit cast a glance at his sister, who leaped down to stand beside him. _Is that Silverkit? That's a fitting name for her._ Silverkit's paws slipped out from under her, and she flopped down on her belly.

With a playful smirk, Darkkit twitched his whiskers as Silverkit pretended to spit at him crossly before jumping back to her paws.

The other queen, a silver-white tabby she-cat, lifted her head to run her green gaze over Darkkit and Silverkit. "They seem like healthy kits, Swiftblaze, aren't they?" As Darkkit's mother, Swiftblaze, nodded, Roseshine continued. "I wonder when mine will open their eyes. Graykit, Spottedkit, and Snowkit were born the night after Darkkit and Silverkit, so it shouldn't be long." She pointed her tail towards three sleeping bundles curled at her belly.

Swiftblaze dipped her head. "Then these two furballs will have some other kits to play with." Darkkit glared at her. _I'm not a furball!_

"Skystar plans to hold their apprentice ceremonies together, on the same day," Roseshine mewed. "These three," she added, placing a paw on one of her kits, "will have their apprentice ceremony a day earlier, but it isn't too much."

Swiftblaze flicked her tail. "That's good."

At this point, Darkkit's eyes flitted towards where light filtered inside the nursery, and he saw an opening that led outside. "What's outside, Swiftheart?" His mother's name felt strange on his tongue, but he ignored the feeling.

"You just opened your eyes, little one. A few more-"

Silverkit cut Swiftblaze off. "No! We want to go to explore now!"

Swiftblaze shot a skeptical glance at Roseshine, who purred. She turned back to face Darkkit and Silverkit, with a sigh. "I suppose you must go out sometime. But stay together, don't bother the warriors, and don't touch anything that you think seems strange, and-" _Everything's going to be strange!_ Darkkit had to grit his teeth to not let the words out of his jaws.

Roseshine cut Swiftblaze off. "Swiftblaze, I'm sure they'll be all right."

Without waiting for a reply, Darkkit beckoned to Silverkit with his tail, then bounded across the den, feeling warm under his mother's green gaze. He raced out into the light, then stopped short as the rays of the sun pierced his eyes. Darkkit flinched back, blinded for a moment, then blinked quickly to look at the camp for the first time.

Silverkit was the first to speak. "Wow."

They were standing in the center of an enormous clearing, where the tall grass waved gently, and the sun peered through the clouds above. There were dens all around the clearing, of all sizes. _What's in there? There are so many dens!_ Darkkit realized.

"Yeah, it's cool," Darkkit mewed quietly, staring around.

His paws slipped on a patch of something moist, and turning around, he saw a puddle of shining, rippling water. As it flattened out, Darkkit stared into it curiously. A dark gray tabby tom with distinctive black stripes stared back at him through yellow eyes.

 _Is that me?_ Darkkit pulled his head back in wonder, his eyes growing round.

Reluctantly, he tore his gaze away, then prodded Silverkit, who was still staring at the dens. "Look at what I found!" Silverkit pushed past him, her blue eyes gleaming curiously as she stared into the puddle, watching the young silver kit who looked back at her.

"Cool." Silverkit flashed Darkkit a smile, then shrugged, flicking her tail. "Let's go and look at the different dens."

"Okay."

Darkkit padded after his sister, his paws as light as his heart as he caught up to her, padding into one of the larger dens. A completely black cat poked his head out, then frowned. "Are you Roseshine's litter?" His voice was calm.

Silverkit shook her head, but Darkkit was the one to speak. "No, Swiftblaze's." Inside, pride swelled in his heart. He had spoken to a real warrior!

The black tom smiled. "I'm Shadowstrike, by the way."

"I'm Silverkit, and that's-" Silverkit began, but Darkkit but her off before she could say his name, too.

"I'm Darkkit."

Shadowstrike brushed past them, heading back into the clearing. "Well, I'm sorry, you two, but... I have to go on patrol. Does Swiftblaze know that you're outside and exploring?" Silverkit nodded. "Good. Now, I suggest you leave the den. Not all warriors are as friendly."

"I hope you didn't mean me," another voice mewed, and Darkkit whipped around to see a handsome gray tom grinning at the two kits. _Who's that?_ "I'm Jayflight. I see that you're Darkkit and Silverkit, right?"

Darkkit nodded.

"Shadowstrike," Jayflight called. "Tigerscar wants you to switch with Brackenfang and go hunting instead."

"Now?"

Jayflight nodded, rolling his eyes. "Yes, now."

"What's it like to be a warrior?" Darkkit interrupted, staring at Jayflight with wide yellow eyes. "I mean, isn't it _great_ to be hunting and fighting every day, and serving your clan! It would be great!"

"Mouse-brain," Silverkit muttered, prodding him sharply. "They don't fight _every day."_

"Whatever." Darkkit rolled his eyes.

Jayflight coughed quietly. "Well, it's really fun... I guess. I mean, when you're a kit, you can't wait to be a warrior, but when you're a warrior, you miss all the fun you had as a kit." He paused, then continued. "When you're a warrior, you can't play moss-ball or play-fight anymore."

"But it still would be fun," Darkkit mewed eagerly.

Silverkit padded a step forward. "Darkkit and I are going to be apprentices so soon, just wait and see!"

Jayflight purred. "Not for six moons, you won't." Silverkit's face fell, her eyes darkening. "Don't worry. The time will pass fast enough, and you'll be an apprentice before you know it." He paused, then pricked his ears. "I've got to go, now. Tigerscar's calling me."

"Who is that, anyway? That's twice you've mentioned him," Darkkit mewed.

"The deputy," Jayflight replied shortly, before turning and bounding across the clearing, then padding through a tunnel and completely disappearing from view.

Silverkit turned to Darkkit. "Come on; let's go and explore the other dens."

 **Who do you like more, Silverkit or Darkkit? (Personally, I feel that Silverkit is more on the cheerful side, while Darkkit is more on the serious side.)**

 **Anyway, read and review!**

 **~The Call of Snowy Fire**


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